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     Bilbo looked at Valadhiel as she sat at the ledge, then he looked around and thought of the riddle again. "Stand by the grey stone..." he went and stood by the grey stone. "When the thrush knocks..." he looked around. No thrush. "The setting sun... and the last light of Durin's Day will shine. Hmm. The last light; last light..."

     Valadhiel looked back at Bilbo, opening her mouth to speak. Before she could though, a dim light in the sky shone down. She looked up at the parted clouds that revealed the light of the full moon, then she tilted her head.

     Bilbo looked at the full moon above him, then he turned when he heard a sound and saw a thrush banging a snail against the wall. When it flew away, he laughed. "The last light!"

     Valadhiel's eyes widened when the moonlight hit the wall and she gasped. "The keyhole! Bilbo, look!"

     Bilbo's eyes widened, too, and he called out to the others, who were out of sight by this point. "The keyhole! Come back, come back! It's the light of the moon; the last moon of autumn! Ha ha ha!"

     He began looking around on the ground after a moment. "Where's the- where's the key? Where's the- it was here... it was just..." his eyes widened when his foot hit it and it almost fell over the side of the mountain.

     Valadhiel reached out for it but would have missed it; thankfully, a boot caught the key beneath it. She looked up to see Thorin, and she grinned up at him.

     The other dwarves came back up and looked at Bilbo in relief, then they looked at Thorin as he looked at the key and held it up for them all to see.

     "Way to go, Bilbo!" Bifur exclaimed.

     "That's our burglar!" Dwalin added.

     "We never would have made it this far without him." Valadhiel said with a smile. She then looked at Thorin. "Well, Master Thorin?"

     Thorin smiled at her before he stepped forward and inserted the key. All watched in wait as the door opened. Once it was open, the only thing Thorin could say in just above a whisper was, "Erebor." 

     "Thorin..." Balin said, trailing off as he got choked up. 

     Thorin put a hand on Balin's shoulder, then he stepped into the mountain, looking around, seeming far away. "I know these walls... these halls... this stone. You remember it, Balin. Chambers filled with golden light." 

     Balin stepped into the tunnel and looked around before he smiled fondly. "I remember." 

     Valadhiel let the dwarves all walk in, as well as the halfling, before she followed them all inside. She looked around and smiled with fondness herself. It had been so long since she had last seen this place. 

     "Herein lies the seventh kingdom of Durin's Folk. May the heart of the mountain unite all dwarves in defense of this home." Gloin said as he looked at a carving. 

     "The throne of the king." Balin said as he gazed upon it, memories from long ago flooding his mind. 

     "Oh. And what's that above it?" Bilbo asked curiously. 

     "The Arkenstone." 

     "Arkenstone... and what's that?" 

     Thorin turned to Bilbo. "That, Master Burglar, is why you are here." 

     All of the dwarves looked at Bilbo, and Valadhiel turned to him as well, noticing that he looked bewildered. She honestly couldn't blame him. He never would have dreamed of stepping one foot out of the Shire, much less go to Erebor and steal the king's jewel from a fire breathing dragon. 

     Valadhiel began walking down one of the tunnel's that led further into the mountain's interior, listening to the others as they walked and talked behind her. 

     "You want me to find a jewel?" Bilbo asked. 

     "A large white jewel, yes." Balin replied. 

     "That's it? Only, I imagine there are quite a few down there." 

     "There is only one Arkenstone. You'll know it when you see it." 

     "Alright." Bilbo replied, then he paused. 

     Valadhiel, upon hearing the footsteps cease, stopped walking and turned to look at the dwarf and the hobbit. 

     Balin turned to face him before speaking. "In truth, lad, I do not know what you will find down there. You needn't go if you don't want to; there's no dishonor in turning back." 

     "No, Balin, I promised I would do this, and I think I must try." Bilbo replied. 

     Balin stared at him a moment before he began to chuckle. "It never ceases to amaze me." 

     "What's that?" Bilbo asked, looking at him in confusion. 

     "The courage of Hobbits." Valadhiel said with a knowing smile. It truly was an amazing thing. After all her years in this world, it still amazed her. 

     "Exactly." Balin said with a nod to Valadhiel, then he looked at Bilbo again. "Go now with as much luck as you can muster. Oh, and Bilbo... if there is, in fact, a live dragon down there, don't waken it." 

     Bilbo looked back worriedly, but he nodded before he continued on down the tunnel. He looked at Valadhiel when she tapped his shoulder with a wing, and when he saw her encouraging smile, he smiled back at her before disappearing down around a corner.

 ~<3~<3~<3~ 

     Valadhiel was sitting against the back of the wall. The other dwarves were close by, but she was off on her own for the most part. She was mostly lost in thought and, if she was being honest, nervous. Being this close to Smaug made her very uncomfortable. 

     "Are you okay?" 

     Valadhiel looked up to see Thorin, and she hesitated a moment before she sighed. "I'm okay. I'm just uncomfortable. Knowing that Smaug is most likely in there somewhere, and we just sent our little hobbit in there with him." 

     "He'll be fine." Thorin assured her, sitting down next to her, taking her hand into his. "He's saved our lives on more than one occasion. Despite what we thought all those days ago, he can handle himself well." 

     Valadhiel thought a moment before she smiled some and nodded. "You're right. He can handle it. He's got this. Besides, it seems he has the special ability of sneaking around without even being seen." She was certain it was because of that ring that he had found. It had to be that. 

     She flinched when she heard a loud sound and felt a quake in the earth beneath her, then she looked back at the mountain, subconsciously holding her breath. 

     "What was that?" Ori asked. 

     "Was that an earthquake?" Dori added. 

     Balin looked at Dori solemnly. "That, my lad, was a dragon." 

     Valadhiel looked at the door and noticed an orange glow. Her eyes widened some and she turned to Thorin. "What about Bilbo?" Valadhiel questioned worriedly. 

     "Give him more time." Thorin replied, not looking at her because he knew that she was giving a worried, almost pleading look. 

     "To do what? Be killed?" Valadhiel asked again as she looked at Thorin. 

     "You're afraid." 

     "Yes, Thorin, I am afraid!" Valadhiel replied. She stepped towards him, inches apart from him as she spoke. "A sickness lies on that hoard. A sickness that drove your grandfather mad. Thorin, I-" 

     "I am not my grandfather." 

     "But you're not yourself, either! The Thorin I have come to know and love wouldn't hesitate to go in there!" Valadhiel exclaimed, and she put her hand on his arm as she looked at him, fear and hurt in her eyes. "Thorin, please..." 

     Thorin looked at her when she said that she had come to know and love him, seeming surprised and taken aback. He looked at her hand when she placed it on his arm, and he looked into her eyes when she looked at him like that. After a moment, he stepped to the door and opened it so they could go in there and help Bilbo. 

     Valadhiel rushed in first and began making her way towards a deep, draconic voice. Her heart picked up its pace and pounded in her chest. She continued to follow her ears and her sense of smell, and she stopped when she heard the words being said. 

     "So tell me, thief, how do you choose to die?" 

     She smelled fire after that, so she rushed forward and grabbed Bilbo's arm, shoving him out of the way before he could get burned. She lifted him and flew into a different room, setting him down in front of Thorin. 

     "You're alive!" Thorin said in relief. 

     "Not for much longer." Bilbo replied, glancing behind him as he heard the dragon ranting in the other room and coming closer. 

     "Let's get out of here." Thorin said, stepping aside and ushering Bilbo and Valadhiel ahead of him. 

     "You will burn!" Smaug roared as he ran towards them, having caught up. His throat glowed orange before he released a stream of fire towards Thorin. 

     Valadhiel turned and jumped toward Thorin, managing to push him right below the flame. She ducked her own head, her face in his chest a moment, and once the fire was gone, she got up, helped him up, and ran out of the room with his hand in hers, making sure that Bilbo was with them. 

     "All of you will burn!" Smaug called out after them. "Do not think there will be any exceptions for you, Valadhiel!" 

     Valadhiel looked behind her, her heart sinking, then she turned her head to the right when she heard several footsteps and she blinked. "How did you guys get in here?"

     "When Smaug was focused on you we slipped in." Balin said. "We need to find some way to get him out of here." 

     "And end him if we must." Bifur added. 

     Valadhiel bit her lower lip and nodded before she looked down, her eyes watering. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before she slowly released it, then she looked up. "I get the feeling there will be no other option. We will have to kill Smaug." 

     "Do you actually feel pity for that thing?" Dwalin growled out. "You look like you're about to cry over the wretched reptile!" 

     Valadhiel looked at Dwalin, then she looked down at the ground. "No one is born good. But no one is born evil, either." She replied, then she forced herself to harden her heart before she turned. "Let's go." She then began leading the way, acting as if she knew this place inside and out. Well, the dwarves must have thought that, but she knew she wasn't acting; she really did know this place inside and out. 

     After a moment, when she thought she heard Smaug, she shape shifted into her dragon form. She would be able to offer better protection for all of them this way. 

     "Shh, shh." Thorin said after they had gotten a little way's away. 

     "Quiet." Dori said. "We've given him the slip." 

     "No. He's too cunning for that." Valadhiel answered quietly. 

     "So where to now?" Bilbo asked quietly. 

     "The western guardroom." Thorin replied just as quietly. "There may be a way out." 

     "It's too high. There's no chance that way." Balin replied. 

     "Have you seriously forgotten that one of us is tall enough to get you up there?" Valadhiel questioned, raising her long neck. "There is one Fire-Drake on your side." 

     Bilbo was silent a moment before he looked at them. "You seriously forgot? She's even in dragon form right now!" 

     An awkward silence fell upon them all, and it was silent at least an entire minute before Bifur broke it. "Well. This is awkward." 

     "Who's the blind one now?" Valadhiel asked, her scaly lips curling up into a smirk. She was referencing back to when they teased her for missing something that Bilbo had seen. "Anyways, we need to get moving." 

     They all quietly made their way across the bridge, but they froze when a coin fell and made a clatter. Valadhiel looked at them, then up when she saw Smaug. She turned to them. 'Come, he'll smell us if we remain here.'

     In response to Valadhiel's thought directed to them, they all began moving again, being as quick as they could be while being silent. She froze when she smelled a terrible odor at the guard room- it smelled as awful as death. When they reached it, they saw that it was filled with corpses. 

     "That's it, then." Dwalin said. "There's no way out." 

     "No. We will not die like this." Thorin replied. "Cowering, clawing for breath. We make for the forges." 

     "He'll see us, sure as death!" Dwalin said, looking at Thorin like the king had lost his mind. 

     "Not if we split up." Thorin replied, looking at Dwalin.

     "Thorin, we'll never make it." 

     "I think you will." Valadhiel replied. "Think positive and go out there, determined to make it out alive. Worst case scenario, you have me. No one fights a dragon better than another dragon." 

     "Then it's settled." Thorin said. "Lead him to the forges. We kill the dragon. If this is to end in fire, then we will all burn together." 

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